Clair de Lune, the 2012 album from leading soprano Natalie Dessay, celebrates the 150th anniversary of Claude Debussy's birth with a brilliant survey of his...

Clair de Lune, the 2012 album from leading soprano Natalie Dessay, celebrates the 150th anniversary of Claude Debussy's birth with a brilliant survey of his early vocal works, including four World Premiere recordings of unpublished songs reflecting the young composer's forbidden love for the soprano wife of one of his patrons. One of the unpublished songs, 'Les Elfes,' includes chord sequences taken from Wagner's famous 'Ride of the Valkyries' (Apocalypse Now), while another ('Romance') traces the wild mood swings and flights of fancy that accompany a restless love. This new album follows up on Dessay's Grammy-nominated Cleopatra, a collection of arias from Handel's opera Giulio Cesare, and coincides with the DVD release and Met Opera performances of Verdi's La Traviata.